What happens if someone dies without a will?

The Texas Estates Code addresses intestate succession, which is the legal term used to describe how an estate is settled when there is no will. In particular, Chapter 201 of the Estates Code describes the distribution of an estate when there is no will. Factors that are taken into account include whether there is a surviving spouse, whether there are any surviving siblings, children, or other descendants, whether the property to be distributed was considered "community property" in a marriage, etc.

Our research guide on wills and directives provides a link to Where There's No Will [PDF], a publication from the Texas A&M Real Estate Center, that explains intestate succession.